Confectionary Package

ABSTRACT

A confectionary package is disclosed having a metering top, a paperboard body, and means for securing the body to the top. The metering top having an upper surface, a skirt extending below the upper surface, an opening in the upper surface sized to meter a portion of confectionary, and a hinged door having a closed position and sized to cover the opening when in the closed position. The body being formed of paperboard folded and secured into a generally tubular shape having an upper end and a lower end, the upper end having a cross section sized to mate with the metering top, and the lower end including flaps that may be closed creating a sealed container. The adhesive may be a label placed over the metering top and extending down the sides of the paperboard body.

The disclosure relates generally to confectionary packaging, and inparticular to a confectionary package combing the advantages ofdiffering material properties.

BACKGROUND

Confectionary packaging has included many forms including the basicpaperboard box, the foil wrapper, complex formed plastic containers, andshrink-wrapped versions of all of these. Most confectionary packaging inthe market is either a paperboard box or a formed plastic container.

Paperboard boxes are favored by some manufacturers because of low costof manufacturing, low cost of printing, low cost of shipping, ease offilling, adjustable size, and biodegradability. Paperboard boxes havedisadvantages in that they have limited metering capabilities, have avery limited resealing once opened, and have a low perceived value inthe market.

Formed plastic containers are favored by other manufacturers because ofbetter metering, better closing, longer lasting, and an increase inperceived value. Formed plastic containers have disadvantages in thatthey are costly to manufacture, require substantial investment to changeonce production has begun, have a low incidence of recycling, and areperceived in the market as wasteful due to environmental impact.

No container in the prior art provides the advantages of both types ofcontainers without the disadvantages.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally provide a confectionarypackage comprised of a formed plastic top and a paperboard body joinedto provide the substantial advantages of a paperboard box with thesubstantial advantages of formed plastic container.

A confectionary package is disclosed having a metering top, a paperboardbody, and means for securing the body to the top. The metering tophaving an upper surface, a skirt extending below the upper surface, anopening in the upper surface sized to meter a portion of confectionary,and a hinged door having a closed position and sized to cover theopening when in the closed position. The body being formed of paperboardfolded and secured into a generally tubular shape having an upper endand a lower end, the upper end having a cross section sized to mate withthe metering top, and the lower end including flaps that may be closedcreating a sealed container. The adhesive may be a label placed over themetering top and extending down the sides of the paperboard body.

Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in theart from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its features,reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a confectionary package;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a confectionary package;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a confectionary package with the door inan open position;

FIG. 4 is an exploded comparison view of two similar confectionarypackages having differing bodies;

FIG. 5 is an inverted view of an open confectionary package ready to befilled;

FIG. 6 is a comparison view of several metering tops for differentconfectionary sizes;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a confectionary package having a texturedskirt;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a confectionary package having a texturedskirt with the door in an open position;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a confectionary package with plugs andapertures;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a confectionary package with plugs andapertures with the door in an open position;

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a confectionary package having twoopposing tops;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view of a confectionary package having twocompartments and two opposing tops;

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of a confectionary package having a singletop with two openings having differing metering rates;

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of a confectionary package having twocompartments and a single top with an opening for each compartment; and

FIG. 15 is a comparison view of several confectionary packages havingdiffering cross sections.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure generally provides for a confectionary package.“Confectionary” in this context would include candies, gums, mints,chocolates and other similarly packaged snack foods that are generallykept on the person or in purses and consumed in small numbers over time.This would include some pharmaceutical delivery means such as nicotinegums, cough drops, and antacid tablets, and other candy-likeconsumables.

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a confectionary package 10 having a body12, a top 14 and an adhesive label 16. The package 10, assembled in thisview, shows how the label 16 covers the top 14 and extends down thesides of the body 12. The label 16 may be the sole means of securing thebody 12 to the top 14. In this configuration the label 16 will bepartially torn to open the top 14. This provides a tamper evidentfeature to the package 10.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a confectionary package 10 more clearlyshowing how the body 12 and top 14 are joined and secured by the label16. Also shown are flaps 18 at a lower end of body 12. The flaps 18 foldover and may be secured by many methods well known in the manufacture ofpaperboard box containers. The typical method is the use of a smallamount of adhesive. Additionally, the label 16 may extend far enough tosecure the flaps 18. As is clear in this view and others, the paperboardbody 12 has a generally tubular shape and is shown here with arectangular cross section. Other cross sections would be a simplemodification of this basic design as discussed in more detail below.

Another feature more visible in this view is hinged door 20 coveringopening 22 in top 14. As is explained below, the size and orientation ofopening 22 is chosen to facilitate metering of the confectionary. Door20 is then sized to seal opening 22.

Also shown is skirt 24 extending down from upper surface 26 of top 14.Skirt 24 slides within body 12 and can be sized to provide a frictionfit between top 14 and body 12.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a confectionary package 10 with the door20 in an open position. This view shows how door 20 is attached to uppersurface 26 by a hinge 28. Hinge 28 may be a thin portion of plasticmaterial, known as a living hinge, when top 14 is made of molded plasticmaterial.

Also shown in this view is the overlap between skirt 24 and body 12 andthe closure of flaps 18. Body 12 is sized to fit over skirt 24 as shown.Skirt adhesive 29 may be applied between body 12 and skirt 24 as shownin FIG. 3. Skirt adhesive 29 may be in addition to label 16 or insteadof label 16.

Door 20 can be made to securely close by incorporating a snap, detent,overlapping ridge, or other means well known in the industry. Door 20can be made such that a closed position is maintained until a user opensdoor 20 using various structures well known in the art. It is alsounderstood that door 20 could be arranged to slide from a closedposition to an open position as is well known in the art.

Body 12 can be made of plain paperboard, but offers the advantage ofbeing made with interior or exterior coatings to improve the performanceof body 12 and package 10. Interior coatings may include a foil barrierlayer, waxed coatings, or other coatings based on the confection to bestored in body 12. Exterior coatings would include decorative elementsbased on the marketing of the confection and consumer interface with thebody 12 or additional barrier layers.

FIG. 4 is an exploded comparison view of two similar confectionarypackages 10 having differing bodies 12 but similar tops 14. Thiscomparison shows that different sized packages 10 may be made withouthaving to re-tool for a different sized top 14. This is important as theinvestment for changes in a paperboard body 12 are far lower than theinvestment required for changing a molded plastic top 14. This allowsfor low cost rapid changes in package 10 volume in response to marketdemands.

FIG. 5 is an inverted view of an open confectionary package 10 ready tobe filled. From this angle it is easy to see how a package 10 may betreated the same as a paperboard box once assembled. This allows for theusage of low cost packaging equipment already being used for paperboardbox processing. Flaps 18 may be sealed in exactly the same manner assimilar flaps on a paperboard box.

FIG. 6 is a comparison view of several metering tops 14 for differentconfectionary sizes. Opening 22 in top 14 is determined by the size ofthe confection, shape of the confection, and desired dispense rate ofthe confection. Smaller confections in smooth shapes will require asmaller opening 22 for a given dispense rate. Similarly, the dispenserate for a given confection may be increased by increasing the size ofopening 22. A large top 14 with a relatively small opening 22 allows forgreater storage capacity and slower dispensing of confections.

FIGS. 7 and 8 show an embodiment of the confectionary package 10including texture 30 on skirt 24 to better secure body 12 to top 14.Texture 30 may be simple roughening of the surface of skirt 24 or raisedelements, such as the barbs 32 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. Barbs 32 may pushout on body 12 such that a lip 34 may be needed to keep body 12 fromsimply deforming. Lip 34 keeps body 12 engaged with barbs 32. Lip 34 isshown extending all the way around the perimeter of top 14, but could beintermittent in nature to achieve the same function.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show an embodiment of the confectionary package 10 whereplugs 36 extend out from skirt 24 and through apertures 38 in body 12.Such mating plugs and apertures allow for body 12 to be lid onto top 14and at least partially secured by the plugs 36 extending through theapertures 38. Such plugs 36 and apertures 38 can be of any shape and maybe shaped to compliment the printing on the outside of body 12. As shownin these figures plugs 36 may be sloped or tapered to ease assembly ofpackage 10.

FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a confectionary package 10 having twoopposing tops 14 and a body 12 without flaps 18. In this embodiment,body 12 may include an internal divider as shown in FIG. 12 such thattwo divided compartments are created. Additionally, this embodiment mayinclude two different tops 14 such that a slower dispensing top 14, witha smaller opening 22 may be on one end of the container 10 and a fasterdispensing top 14, with a larger opening 22, may be on the opposite end.

FIG. 12 is an exploded sectional view of a confectionary package 10having two compartments 40 created by a divider 42 in body 12 and twoopposing tops 14. The confectionary package 10 with divider 42 canprovide multiple flavors or types of confection in a single package 10with out changing the design of top 14, if desired for brandconsistency.

FIG. 13 is an exploded view of a confectionary package 10 having asingle top 14 with two openings 22 having differing metering rates toprovide a user choice in metering rates.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of a confectionary package 10 having twocompartments 40 created by a divider 42 in body 12 and a single top 14with an opening for each compartment 40. Divider 42 in body 12 createstwo compartments 40 to hold two different confections separate from eachother. As shown, divider 42 may include slits 44 to allow skirt 24 tosecurely fit in body 12 without interference from divider 42.

FIG. 15 is a comparison view of several confectionary packages 10 havingdiffering cross sections to provide differing shapes. Body 12 of eachpackage 10 has a tubular shape, but each with a different cross sectionto form very different shapes. Also shown are openings 22 with a taperedshape instead of a rectangular shape. Openings 22 can be of manydifferent shapes and sizes to control metering of the confection.

It may be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words andphrases used in this patent document. The term “couple” and itsderivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two ormore elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contactwith one another. The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well asderivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The term “or” isinclusive, meaning and/or. The phrases “associated with” and “associatedtherewith,” as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, beincluded within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within,connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperatewith, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have,have a property of, or the like.

While this disclosure has described certain embodiments and generallyassociated methods, alterations and permutations of these embodimentsand methods will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly,the above description of example embodiments does not define orconstrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterationsare also possible without departing from the spirit and scope of thisdisclosure, as defined by the following claims.

1. A confectionary package comprising: a paperboard body; a formedmetering top on an end of the paperboard body; and an adhesive securingthe body to the top.
 2. The confectionary package of claim 1 wherein themetering top comprises: an upper surface; a skirt extending below theupper surface; an opening in the upper surface sized to meter a portionof confectionary; and a door having a closed position and sized to coverthe opening when in the closed position.
 3. The confectionary package ofclaim 1 wherein the paperboard body comprises: a paperboard folded andsecured into a container shape having an upper end and a lower end; theupper end having a cross section shaped to mate with the metering top;and the lower end including flaps that may be closed creating a sealedcontainer.
 4. The confectionary package of claim 1 wherein the adhesiveis a label placed over the metering top and extending down the sides ofthe paperboard body.
 5. The confectionary package of claim 1 wherein theformed metering top is a plastic material.
 6. The confectionary packageof claim 2 wherein the adhesive is a skirt adhesive between the skirtand the body.
 7. The confectionary package of claim 2 further comprisinga second metering top on an end of the body opposite the metering top.8. The confectionary package of claim 7 wherein the body furthercomprises a divider within the body creating two compartments within thebody, a first compartment in communication with the metering top and asecond compartment in communication with the second metering top.
 9. Theconfectionary package of claim 2 wherein the metering top has a secondopening in the upper surface.
 10. The confectionary package of claim 9wherein the second opening is sized to meter at a different rate thanthe first opening.
 11. The confectionary package of claim 9 wherein thebody further comprises a divider within the body creating twocompartments within the body, a first compartment in communication withthe opening and a second compartment in communication with the secondopening.
 12. A confectionary package comprising: a formed metering tophaving an upper surface, a skirt extending below the upper surface, anopening in the upper surface sized to meter a portion of confectionary,and a hinged door having a closed position and sized to cover theopening when in the closed position; a body formed of paperboard foldedand secured into a generally tubular shape having an upper end and alower end, the upper end having a cross section sized to mate with themetering top, and the lower end including flaps that may be closedcreating a sealed container; and a structure securing the body to thetop.
 13. The confectionary package of claim 12 wherein the structure isa label placed over the metering top and extending down the paperboardbody.
 14. The confectionary package of claim 13 wherein the label isprinted such that any tear in the label would be evident.
 15. Theconfectionary package of claim 12 wherein the metering top is a plasticmaterial.
 16. The confectionary package of claim 12 wherein thestructure is a skirt adhesive between the body and the skirt.
 17. Theconfectionary package of claim 12 wherein the structure is a texture onthe skirt that increases friction between the skirt and the body. 18.The confectionary package of claim 12 wherein the structure is a barbthat extends from the skirt and engages the body.
 19. The confectionarypackage of claim 12 wherein the structure is a plug extending from theskirt through an aperture in the body.
 20. The confectionary package ofclaim 17 further including a tamper evident label.